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A carbon tax without a plan is just another tax grab on Islanders

Posted|October 3, 2016

Charlottetown – Adopting a carbon tax without
a clear plan on how to improve our environment is just another tax grab on
Islanders from the MacLauchlan government, says Opposition Leader and Opposition
Energy Critic Jamie Fox.

“The
ink is barely dry on the HST increase and here comes another tax that will
affect all Islanders and businesses. There's no guarantee that these millions in
new taxes will actually go to improve our environment. Without a clear plan on
how government plans to use these new taxes to improve our environment this is
shaping up to be just another tax grab on Islanders,” says
Fox.

Canada’s
Premiers, including Premier MacLauchlan, committed to setting a national price
for carbon at a Council of the Federation meeting in Vancouver in March along
with the federal government. The federal government announced its intention
today to establish a carbon tax of $10 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions in
2018, rising to $50 per tonne by 2022.

Prince
Edward Island generates approximately 2,000 kilotonnes of greenhouse gases
annually, according to the province. Using the province’s own figures between
2018 and 2022 the proposed carbon tax would generate $300 million in revenue
from Island residents, farms, and businesses.

“There
are three important points that need to be addressed by the MacLauchlan
government before any Islanders shoulder the burden of another tax. First, what
strategies does the government have to reduce our carbon footprint? Second, how
much will these strategies cost? Third, if the province goes with a carbon tax
what tax reductions will be made elsewhere to lower the financial burden on
Islanders from this crushing new tax?,” says Rustico-Emerald MLA and Opposition
Environment Critic Brad Trivers.